Compared with many other European countries, particularly the extortionate prices enjoyed by residents of the UK, train travel in Spain is relatively inexpensive. Trains are operated by a company called RENFE and timetables can be found on their website www.renfe.es. There are two principal train stations in Barcelona, the largest is called Estacio de Sants, and the second is called Estacio de França.

Estacio de SantsThis is the main terminal and visitors to Barcelona intending to make a day trip will almost inevitably pass through at some point.Both long and short distance trains depart from here, plus international trains to France, Italy and Switzerland.The station has full services including a tourist information office, pharmacy, newsstands and cafés. There is a 24 hr luggage service. Queues for train tickets can be long so it´s a good idea to get there early!Metro: Sants Estacio L3 (green) and L5 (blue)

Estacio de FrançaWhen first opened in 1929 by King Alfonso XIII the Estacio de França was one of the largest stations in Europe and is a masterpiece of 1920s architectural elegance.The station is no longer such as important as in years past and its use was scaled down particularly after many tracks were closed in order to construct the Olympic Village.However, it does run services to coastal towns north of Barcelona and also to the south of France. Metro: Barceloneta L4 (yellow)

A third useful station is Passeig de Gracia. Many trains pass through here on their way to nearby destinations and it is closest to the city centre. It also has luggage lockers open from 6am-9.30pm. These can be handy if you need to leave your luggage somewhere before or after you check in/out of an apartment! Metro: Passeig de Gracia L2 (purple), L3 (green), L4 (yellow)

Please note – it is better to book long distance journeys in advance, this can be done at the station or at any travel agency.

FGC (Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya)

Running from Plaça Catalunya/Plaça Espanya, the FGC is very much like an addition to the metro system. There are two FGC lines within Barcelona (U6 Linea de Sarria, U7 Linea del Tibidabo), and a further four lines that run to nearby towns.The timetable is the same as for the metro, metro tickets can be used and routes are shown on the metro map.